Empties No.4

Another empties post! I enjoy these when I'm having a bit of a mental block. :-)

Avon Tahitian Holiday Body Mist (£3.60 from the Avon site)
I know its Avon and you either love or hate their products. I love this body mist. I have an obsession with all things coconut scented and this smells just like summer to me. Love it! Sometimes I just spritz it around the house when its one of those dreary rainy days. :-)

Neutrogena Spot Stress Control Daily Cleansing Lotion (£2.66 in Superdrug)
I can sometimes have a few blemishes around my period. A friend suggested that I give this a go and its really worked. Sometimes I get no blemishes and if some do appear then they tend disappear just as quickly.

Superdrug's Naturally Radiant Brightening Micro Polish (£4.99 in Superdrug)
It brightens my skin up of a morning. It isn't too harsh or too abrasive - something that I used to actually look for in an exfoliator! I have since learned that its really bad. Shame on me!

Ginger And Co.'s Double Up Creamy Body Wash
These guys are the perfect dupe for Soap and Glory and they just have a more purse pleasing price tag! ;-) It leaves my skin nice and soft and it smells great too.

Have you tried any of these products?
What were your thoughts?

Natural beauty with MyPure

I've decided that its time to start using eye cream. It probably should have happened long ago but I'm late to everything! :-)
I decided to get the Laid Bare Pack Your Bags Tighten And Lighten eye cream (how cute is that name?) from MyPure. I also decided to get the EcoTools Bamboo 5 Piece Fresh and Flawless Complexion Set

You need so little of the eye cream that I envisage it lasting a long time. At only £7.99 that's got to be value for money, right?

 I keep reading about how delicate the eye area is and how thin the skin is there so I was glad to find that this particular eye cream feels very light when its applied.
I'm mum to a very gorgeous wee boy but he's also a wee boy that has a penchant for 5am wake up calls! Because of this I find that I have dark circles under my eyes more often than not. I've been using the product for a week now and the dark circles have definitely faded somewhat. I can't say that the "tightening" has taken place though, maybe after using it for a few more weeks?
Laid Bare tell you to apply the cream and pat it in gently, it takes quite a bit of patting to be honest. Not such a big deal though when you're getting the results you want.
Onto the makeup brushes now. I tend to be quite religious about cleaning my makeup brushes weekly. A few of my brushes leave my face feeling quite itchy, kabuki brushes in particular! I seen that the bamboo EcoTools brushes were listed as "beautifully soft" so this sounded ideal.
The 5 piece set contains a flat concealer brush, buffing concealer brush, precision foundation brush, complexion blending brush and a full powder brush.
 

When you open the cute box there is a description on the left about what each brush does which I think is great for those that are unsure.
 

I've been using the brushes every morning since I received them and they genuinely are so soft, it feels really nice using them to apply my make up and no itchiness! :-) The brushes are smaller than usual but because of this they fit perfectly into my makeup bag for touch ups when out and about.
And for you cruelty free shoppers out there (I'm thinking of you Dani!), the bristles are cruelty free. The set is £11.99 too which I think is a pretty great price! I know I've spent more on makeup brushes in the past that were of a poorer quality.

Have any of you used either of these products?
How did you find they worked for you?

Pixy Cosmetics

I have always been a big fan of Pixy Cosmetics. They're a business based in Mallow, County Cork but they have stockists scattered all over the place. Their products are SLS and parabens free, no animal testing (big yay from me!) and their products are made from natural ingredients.
They sound great, don't they? :-) I was excited when I was recently offered the opportunity to review some of their products.
Pixy sent me out their limelight bath bomb, strawberry kiss face scrub and their lime body scrub cubes.

Limelight bath bomb
I have used this particular bath bomb before so I was so happy to receive it. I love the hint of grapefruit that you get from this. There also seems to be moisturising ingredients in there too because each time I've used it my skin has felt fabulous afterwards. The bath bombs are priced at £3.45

Strawberry Kiss face scrub

This scrub is full of  lovely ingredients such as macadamia nut oil and evening primrose to soften your skin. When I first used this product the strawberry seeds were so delicate that I thought there was no way they could possibly be exfoliating. They seemed to just glide over the skin, yet when I rinsed it off my face was as soft as when I've used "harsher" scrubs. Big thumbs up! This item is priced at £9.95.

Lime body scrub cubes
Pixy call these the best fake tan remover ever. I'm not one to use fake tan so I can't comment on that but at £4.95 they're one of the best body scrubs I've used. One side of the cube exfoliates and one side moisturises. You jump in the shower and exfoliate as normal. You then use the moisturising side, rinse off and pat dry. Its such a quick process but with such good results. The zingy lime scent lingers on your skin too which is always nice.

Have you tried anything from Pixy?
What are your favourites?

St Ives Apricot Blemish Control Scrub

I was recently reviewing a scrub that contained little apricot kernels. It reminded me of the St. Ives scrub that I used to use in my early twenties. I couldn't remember anything negative about it so I picked up a tube of the Blemish Control Scrub when I was in Superdrug.


I've been using it this week and its as great as I remembered. Why do we stop using products that we never had a problem with?


This particular scrub is perfect for oily, blemish prone skin. It smells very refreshing. It exfoliates my skin beautifully, leaving it lovely and soft. After using this for five days my skin is already looking less dull. I've also been able to use this while wearing fake tan and it doesn't take my tan off completely.


At £3.99 for 150ml I won't be so quick to forget about it this time!


Have any of you used this scrub?
Do you rate it as highly as I do?

Pulpe De Vie skincare

A few months ago Funky Skincare sent me one of their new bath teabags to review. 

This week I received a wee package in the mail and was pleasantly surprised to see that Funky Skincare had sent me a few Pulpe De Vie samples to review. I love the products these folks sell as all of them boast that they are chemical free, no SLS and no parabens. Good stuff! :-)


Lucious Glow Body Milk ~ £17.90 for 150ml tube
I have never been a fan of shimmering body milks because I've found in the past that they look too obvious on my pasty pale skin. I was genuinely impressed with this body milk though. It has a very complimentary shimmer that the light catches now and again.
It is made from grapefruit and blackcurrant waters so I expected the fragrance to be stronger than it was. With that said, it did smell lovely, very delicate.


Sweet Frappe Face 2 in 1 Scrub and Mask ~ £19.50 for 75ml tube
I loved this, loved, loved, loved it.

 It contains little apricot kernels which make for a fantastic exfoliator. You basically massage this onto dry skin, leave it for 5 minutes and then massage again as you rinse it off. My skin was so soft afterwards. It didn't feel tight like it normally would after a face mask. It also wasn't difficult to rinse off. The scrub turns into a type of milk as you rinse it away. Lovely!


Cozy Cuddle Moisturising and Anti-Oxidant Face Cream ~ £20 for 30ml pump action bottle
My first concern when trying a new face cream is whether its greasy/oily. I tend to have a shiny T-zone so I don't need an oily/greasy moisturisers encouraging it! :-) I only had the opportunity to apply this once so I can't be 100% sure its not oily/greasy, especially as I didn't get the chance to wear it under my makeup.
I know scents are irrelevant to some people but I'm very much led on what things smell like whether its skincare, candles or perfume to give a few examples. This stuff smells beautifully peachy.


Love Me Tonight Night Cream ~ £21 for 30ml pump action bottle
A fragrant, spicy anti ageing night cream. I loved the almost musky scent this cream offered. It feels quite rich on the skin which I like in a night cream. I like to know that I'm giving my skin plenty of goodness to soak up while I'm getting my beauty sleep. :-)


Have you tried any of the Pulpe De Vie products?
Any favourites?

Keep moisturised with MyPure.

I recently had the opportunity to review two lovely products from MyPure. I love these guys because they are all about natural, organic beauty.

I decided to review the Lovea SPF 50 Daily Face Cream (new formula). Its currently priced at £17.99 for 50ml. This wee pot is jam packed full of anti-aging ingredients and given that I'm in my early 30's now I'm all for fighting the signs with any artillery I can get my hands on!
I often find sunscreens quite drying but I've been using this for a week now and it leaves my skin feeling surprisingly soft.
The only con is that while it states that it can be worn under makeup I've tried and it certainly can't be worn under my particular make up. I suffer from shiny patches as it is and these appear within minutes while wearing Lovea and foundation together. With that said, I would rather wear Lovea face cream on a hot day and protect my skin, as opposed to wearing make up and damaging my skin.

The second product I picked to review was the A'kin Pureman aftershave balm. Its priced at £9.60 for 75ml. I have been using the A'kin serum recently and I was curious to see if the men's range stood up as strongly as the women's. The fragrance of this aftershave balm is a mixture of orange, Ginseng and spice. It smells great, even my dad commented on how nice it smelled. I gave it to him to try out for me and he said his skin felt less "angry" after shaving once he applied this. He also said that it wasn't greasy which is a big deal breaker for him. He mentioned that if the fragrance is an issue for anyone then to let them know that it fades pretty quickly. He is liking it so much that he has asked me if I could pick him up another bottle once this one runs out so I think that's a big thumbs up!


Have you tried any of these products?
What were your thoughts?
                       



~ While I was sent these items for review purposes all of the opinions are honest and my own.

MYPURE A'kin and Hurraw review.

This month I had the opportunity to put in an order on the MYPURE website. I have been wanting to try some of their products for a while now. They're all about organic skincare and that's an avenue I have definitely been wanting to explore. I can see now why so many people move across exclusively to organic skincare products. 

Anyway, onto the products I tried. I have recently been trying to be kinder to my skin and that means more than a splash of water and some moisturiser for me. I know, shame on me!


In a recent post I tried my first skin serum. You can find that post here. I was impressed with just how effective these serums are so when I seen A'kin Revitalising Cellular Radiance Serum I knew that I wanted to give it a go. 

This product is an anti-age formula and being in my early 30s I'm all for nipping any signs of "wear and tear" in the bud! It has a luxurious texture and when you apply the recommended 3-4 drops after cleansing you can just feel your skin thanking you for it. I spend a lot of time outdoors and so my skin dries out quickly, this serum seems to almost rehydrate it and it immediately begins to feel softer. Its not at all oily like you might imagine it to be either. My skin absorbed it so quickly that there was no real shine.

Its currently on offer too at £23.40 so if you want to try something new, give this a go. I definitely definitely recommend it. The only thing I would say (and its not a big deal) is that I think a pump would be more effective than the wee bottle dropper.


I mentioned before that I spend a lot of time outdoors and how it dries my skin out quite quickly. Unfortunately the same applies to my lips. I used to lather them in a particular lip balm but I've recently discovered that it actually just dries them out even more. Based on that, I decided to try the HURRAW! grapefruit lip balm which is a steal at £3.59 and 100% natural. 

When I read the ingredients on this item I noticed that it contained coconut oil. When my son was born he was quite sensitive, coconut oil was the only thing that didn't cause a reaction so I used it on him for everything from massages to a moisturiser. Its good stuff so I knew I was onto a good thing with the lip balm at that point.


It smells exactly like grapefruit, not sickly and artificial like a lot of lip balms on the market. The stick is an oval shape which shouldn't matter either way but I actually prefer it when applying it. I have found that when using some lip balms I have had to drag them across my lips but HURRAW! glides on easily and I'm imagining that that too is thanks to the coconut oil.


All in all, I'm impressed with MYPURE, everything from their delivery speed to their customer communications and the best thing of all.....the 100% natural products.

Have you shopped with MYPURE?

Which of their products would you recommend?

*These items were sent to me for review purposes but my opinions are honest and entirely my own.

Funky Skincare Bath Teabags

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I recently had the pleasure of reviewing Funky Skincare's novel, but absolutely fantastic, bath teabags. They're from their Wild Olive brand.
After putting the baby in bed my favourite way to unwind is to run a nice hot bath and soak in it with a glass of wine. I normally opt for bath bombs from Lush but sometimes I don't want to be covered in "bits". Its just something else to clean up and trust me, with a rambunctious son, I don't need anything else to clean! :-)

The Funky Skincare teabags solve this problem for me because everything stays contained in the teabag while infusing the water with its delicious scent. The water doesn't colour either, just in case you're wondering. The bath teabags work like a regular teabag - run your bath, pop the teabag in and let it stew. Simple! Then you can either leave it in when you descend in relaxation mode or discard it.
The teabags are priced at £1.75 for a single teabag, or if you fancy treating yourself you can get an assortment pack of the five fragrances for £8.50. Very affordable considering I spend £2.50+ on various bath bombs. Its Mother's Day soon, wouldn't the assortment pack make a lovely wee pampering gift?
The five scents available are:
Lemon, Maychang and Green Tea Bath Tea Bag
Lime, Hymalayan Cedarwood and Green Tea Bath Tea Bag
Mandarin, Bergamot and Orange Blossom Bath
Tuberose & Jasmine Bath
Lavender & White Tea
I tried the Tuberose & Jasmine bag and the fragrance was beautiful and not at all overpowering like some bath fragrances can be. I felt relaxed and refreshed afterwards, which is always a positive at the end of a kid fuelled day! A few friends visited later that evening and commented on the nice smell in the house.
Funky Skincare aren't just about bath teabags. They stock an array of products for your bath, face, body, hands, accessories and gift sets.
I've got an eye on Ora Naturals Argan & Manuka Daily Face Cream and Cheeky Cow cosmetic bag for me and a Lime and Coconut Souffle Bath Melt for my mum.


Have any of you tried Funky Skincare products? What did you try? How did you find them?






Much love. xx




Lisa


@latte_fiend on Twitter.

My favourite Winter Skincare Products

Since I fell pregnant and had my son my skin has changed completely. Who would have thought it possible? Not me! I used to have an oily T-zone with a few blemishes every month that tied in with my period. The fun of being a female! :-) Now I seem to have combination skin with an infuriating mid area on my face (nose and under my eyes) which is dry. Couple that with the cold winter weather & it's been a chore to keep on top of it. That is until I got my grubby paws on these next few products. They have made my winter skincare routine easy as opposed to a military effort.

 

This is Lush's Mint Julips. It's a mint chocolate flavoured lip scrub. I use it every night before I go to bed & it leaves you with the smoothest, kissable lips. :-) The smallest amount will buff away any dead skin and at £5.50 it's not going to break the bank. 

My next saviour is Lush's Ultrabland Facial Cleanser. It's quite a creamy/oily texture (that will be the almond oil). There's no faffing around with it. You rub it over your face and remove it by wiping it off with a cotton pad or flannel that's been run under warm water. One of my friends particularly likes to use her muslin cloths to remove it. 

 Lush actually advise that you use this product and only this product for one month to bring skin back into balance. I did this and it certainly worked for me. I'm more than impressed. Again, I don't think the cost is extortionate at £6.95 for a 45g pot or £10.95 for a 100g pot.

Product number three is Lush's Ultrabalm.

I work outdoors a lot and since I have developed this dry area I feel that I need to take that extra step to protect and nourish my skin while I'm outdoors. This product has the texture of wax and goes onto your skin a bit like Vaseline. I wouldn't recommend wearing it alone in the summer or under make-up as you will no doubt end up shiny (never a good look!) but for overnight and during winter it is perfect & incredibly nourishing. 

It has many, many uses! The Lush website states:

"Use it anywhere that needs some moisture; as a hand cream, on your hair to keep static flyaway at bay, as a lip balm, to brighten up your tattoos, on dry knees and elbows – even to tame your eyebrows and hold them so. There’s no end to the things you can do with one little tin." 

I also use it as a hand cream overnight while wearing moisturising gloves and in the morning my hands are so soft. It's £8.50 for a 45g tin and could probably last for an entire year! That's got to be a bargain item, right? :-)

All of these products are brilliant, I can't speak of them highly enough but I'm back to square one once the warmer weather rolls in. So, any advice, recommendations or suggestions are very welcome! 

What skincare routine do you have? What products do you use?

Love. x

@latte_fiend on Twitter.